Decide what counts as resolved
Pick one rule and write it down. A common one: the ticket was closed after a single reply from your team and the customer did not write back about it within a set window, such as seven days. Without a window, a ticket the customer gave up on looks like a success.
Count it from what your help desk already reports
You need three numbers for a month: tickets closed, tickets closed after one team reply, and tickets reopened. Divide the second by the first. If your tool cannot filter on replies sent, read a sample of fifty closed tickets and count by hand; the pattern shows up quickly.
Read it next to the reopen rate
A high first contact number with a high reopen rate means tickets are being closed too early. A low number with a low reopen rate usually means customers are asking twice because the first answer was incomplete. Neither number means much alone.
Read the tickets that needed a second reply
Take ten follow-ups and note what the first answer left out. It is usually the same few gaps: a missing step, an assumption about what the customer already knew, or a link that was never sent. Each gap is a saved reply or a help article waiting to be written.
- Ask one clarifying question in the first reply when you cannot answer without it, instead of guessing.
- End replies with what happens next and when, so the customer does not need to ask.
- Link the exact help article, not the help center home page.
Do not turn it into a target for individuals
If agents are scored on first contact resolution they will close tickets early and avoid hard ones. Track it for the team, review it monthly, and use it to find gaps in your answers rather than to rank people.